Make Your Political Investment Now

Your state society's political advocacy starts with ISEPS political action committee -- the Illinois Medical Eye-PAC. Established in 1986, the PAC has been a strong advocate for the ophthalmology profession in Illinois by helping to support the election of candidates for state office, primarily the state House of Representatives and the State Senate. In addition, the newly created Illinois Safe Surgery Fund supports our lobbying effort in Springfield to keep delicate eye surgery in the hands of highly trained surgeons, and not those who have never attended medical school and ophthalmology residency.

Illinois Medical Eye-PAC

The top goal of the Illinois Medical Eye-PAC is to help elect officeholders who understand the importance of a medical education and the training received by an ophthalmologist. We seek to support candidates who either have demonstrated through votes in the legislature or by their statements that they agree with our concerns about protecting the quality of medical and surgical eye care in Illinois. We also consider positions on other issues, including access to eye care, tort reform and medical malpractice issues, and a range of topics which would affect medical practices and small business owners in general.

Among the factors the committee considers when determining support for a candidate are:

Stated or demonstrated positions on issues important to ophthalmologists

Service on relevant legislative committees

Leadership positions in the General Assembly or state government

Personal recommendation of an ISEPS member

Support from other medical professions

Electability - i.e., likelihood of success in the election

The Illinois Medical Eye-PAC is a state political action committee. We do not make any contributions to candidates for federal office, such as Congress. The Illinois Medical Eye-PAC is funded through contributions of individual ophthalmologists and their practices throughout the state. The committee is managed by a chairman and the treasurer. In addition to those two officers, the PAC steering committee includes the ISEPS president and legislative chair. Personal and corporate contributions are accepted.

Illinois Safe Surgery Fund

With the introduction of legislation that would allow optometrists to perform some surgical procedures and give injections in and around the eye, ISEPS has created the Illinois Safe Surgery Fund. This is a project separate from the Illinois Medical Eye-PAC and will be used to support your state society's legislative efforts in Springfield. Donations to the Illinois Safe Surgery Fund are strictly confidential.

Ophthalmologists -- WE NEED YOUR DONATIONS! You can contribute online now... we suggest a donation of just a dollar a day -- $365 -- but any amount will be greatly appreciated! Join the Illinois Medical Eye-PAC's "Leadership Team" by making a $1,000 contribution. By clicking on the form below, you can donate to the PAC or the Safe Surgery Fund -- or both! Thank you very much!

Individual or corporate contributions are allowed to either the PAC or the Safe Surgery Fund. You do not need to be an Illinois resident to donate. All donations to the Illinois Safe Surgery Fund are strictly confidential.

Note - if you have logged-in to the website, some of the fields in the donation form will be populated for you. Click on the "Member log-in" link at the top of this page and enter your ISEPS user name and password. However, this step is not required to access the donation page.

PAC News

We will be posting news and information in this space from time to time, especially during election season, to help keep Illinois ophthalmologists informed about political news and activities.

2018 Primary and General Elections

The 2018 General Election is on Tuesday, November 6th.

All statewide officers are on the ballot, including Governor

All members of the Illinois House of Representatives are up for election, as well as 39 of the 59 State Senate seats.